Roger Clemens Reaction (Sorta): ‘The Man is a Complete Dope’
Baseball, Courts, Legal, Drugs, Media Gossip/Musings February 14th. 2008, 11:13am
First of two posts on Clemens coverage, and in this one, we’ll simply highlight reaction. (One point and one question: Brian McNamee said he injected Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, Roger Clemens and Debbie Clemens with HGH. Three confirmed as much. It’d be surprising to not see that fact in every column in the country. What investigative journalist is going to look into Rocket’s campaign contributions this year?)
Patrick Reusse finds perhaps the greatest paragraph ever written about Roger Clemens: “If Clemens had not once been able to consistently throw a baseball 95 miles per hour past men with bats in their hands, he would be wearing bib overalls and sitting on a milk crate at the open end of a trailer somewhere, brushing his tooth, while shooing away flies from his head,” Barnacle wrote. “The man is a complete dope.” Just … wow. (Star Tribune)
This, we can mostly agree with: McNamee is “part rat and part dirt bag who fancies himself as Serpico” and Clemens is an “excuse-making, selfish jerk who won’t admit he made a mistake.” Except we’d replace ‘mistake’ with ‘cheated.’ (Sportsline)
Body language specialists - Clemens was lying! (ESPN)
Very appropriate opening line, apropos of the setting: Roger Clemens’ house of lies. (Yahoo)
Disagree with the assertion that Mark McGwire “drowned” in the same seat three years ago. Big Red isn’t universally-hated. Out of sight, out of mind. (ESPN)
“He looked not like a hero, not like an icon, not like a legend, but instead like a guy who would say anything to try to save his reputation.” Gold. (USA Today)
Fantastic line about Nannygate: “Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) implied with his questioning that Clemens and his snake-oil people appeared to have interfered with a witness, and Clemens’s inability to answer his questions directly — and his lawyers’ meltdown behind him — ended up hurting Clemens and bolstering McNamee.” (Washington Post)
Things misremembered: “Roger can’t answer a question to save his life, and he was in way over his head intellectually (which is surprising considering how dumb most of the Republicans looked).” (Cavman Considers)
38 Responses to “Roger Clemens Reaction (Sorta): ‘The Man is a Complete Dope’”
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February 14th, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Why are we surpised that great athletes are only good at being athletes? If you focus you’re time on one thing, you’re going to be bad at other things (like using logic, and avoiding getting trapped in a lie). I for one, focused all my energy on being attractive and witty.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:20 AM
so this hearing didnt need to be public, yet clemens insisted. and as a result, he gets caught lying and his public image is destroyed. ego or stupidity?
February 14th, 2008 at 11:21 AM
it’s not a lie if clemens believes it.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:25 AM
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Mike and Mike this morning: “Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, liar, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, steriods, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, perjury, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, HGH, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, greatest ever, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Golic is fat, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Greeny is a metrosexual, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Jason Kidd, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens, liar, Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens
February 14th, 2008 at 11:26 AM
lozo…funny you mention that quote, that seinfeld was on last night.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:27 AM
CHAIRMAN
No, no I’m going to allow Mr. Clemens to read his statement — I’ll put it in the record.
Roger
In the hopes of clearing my family name — and in the sincere desire to give my children the fare share of the American way of life, without a blemish on their name and background — I have appeared before this committee and given it all the cooperation in my power. I find it a great dishonor for me personally to have to deny that I am a criminal. I wish to have the following noted for the record. That I served my country faithfully and honorably in the Olympics and — was awarded a gold metal for action in pitching for my country. That I have never been arrested or indicted for any crime what-so-ever. That no proof linking me to any criminal conspiracy whether it is called “HGH” or “Decca-Durabolin” or whatever other name you wish to give has ever been made public. I have not taken refuge behind the 5th amendment as it was my right to do. I challenge this committee — to produce any more witnesses or evidence against. And if it do not — I hope they will have the decency to clear my name with the same publicity with which they have now besmirched it.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:29 AM
I wonder how long it took them to teach him how to say besmirched
February 14th, 2008 at 11:30 AM
@Hef: agree completely…at least about the athletes only being good at athletics. I will assume you are both attractive and witty because it’s easy to trust people on the internet. I found myself thinking up easy answers for questions that stumped both Clemens and McNamee.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:33 AM
@wildcat: Solid Godfather 2 reference. +1, sir.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:34 AM
He knows that amendment is there to protect himself from, well, himself. After his performance yesterday maybe he should have thought twice about this one.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Oh,
I guess I missed the reference… my bad
February 14th, 2008 at 11:35 AM
@wildcat1144:
Will it end with Harden shouting – “This committee owes an apology, Senator”?
February 14th, 2008 at 11:36 AM
When leaving the court Roger was acting as if he had won. I thought McNamee couldn’t have looked more truthful. Roger is just a simple minded dude. McNamee is both a physical trainer and a cop, both of which (take away the last post if you will) require higher education. McNamee won in my mind. He has no reason to lie. Why didn’t Roger do what Pettite did? Just admit it. As Strange Wilderness taught me; when you are caught wearing a thong, just say, “Yeah, I’m wearing a thong”
February 14th, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Jesus,
Nah, it will end with Roger signing some of the Senator’s gavels and then throwing a piece of the podium at Waxman.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:38 AM
By the way that was probably the worst movie I have ever seen since I saw Young Einstein when I was like 8 years old.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Mags…i guess you havent seen Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (the sequel). every movie you watch after seeing that will look like Raging Bull or Forest Gump
February 14th, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day, TBL! he said in a manly voice while raising a hairy arm in salute to complete an entirely non-homo salutation and muttering “how ’bout them Bears!” just for good measure…
February 14th, 2008 at 11:45 AM
@spencer
At the end of Strange WIlderness they just basically stopped rolling due to a blooper. As if the whole mivie was like an ad lib or something. The final scene was the two dudes on a couch and they just start cracking up like in a blooper the they wrap up the story line with white words on a black screen and then the credits roll. It was a terrible, horrible film.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Mags…im not going to lie to you, im still gonna see it, only because i love bad movies.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:47 AM
@spencer
Oh and it shows two penises, penii? What the fuck is the plural of schlong?
February 14th, 2008 at 11:48 AM
That body language article was pretty good, she was all over Clemens, and rightfully so.
Pettitte is not getting enough credit, he decided telling the truth was the best thing for him and his family, even though it meant screwing over a friend. I don’t consider it ratting his friend out, because all Roger had to do was tell the truth and it would have been the end of it.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:49 AM
@Mags: Haven’t seen it, but the shark commercial I saw for it made me laugh for hours.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Which Strange Wilderness? The Frank Stallone one, or the Apatow one?
February 14th, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Mags…thanks for the heads up on the wang display.
Hef…yea, that shark thing always gets me.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:57 AM
@ Mags: Damn, my girlfriend wants to see this movie. I’m screwed. Was it funny?
February 14th, 2008 at 11:57 AM
@ Spencer and Lozo:
yeah I saw that episode too last night. Funny we get the same ones in Cleveland and Philly.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
I saw Strange Wilderness last weekend – it’s not great but it’s not that bad. If you liked Grandma’s boy, you’ll like it.
I think I laughed hardest at the stupid voiceovers for the nature footage.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:08 PM
the only thing i learned from Mike and Mike this morning, Mike Greenberg convinced me he’s a complete idiot when he admitted he believed Clemens’ story about Pettitte “mis-remembering” what happened. I sincerely hope he was doing that to be a contrarian, then again, it’s ESPN…
February 14th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
@wilhelmreems- no, Greenberg is just that naive and idiotic.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:28 PM
@Gonzo
Shit man. I own Grandma’s Boy, I still hated Strange Wilderness. Jonah’s crazy ass laugh was the only thing I laughed at through the entire movie. Of course, had I been smokey it would have been better.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Someone saw Grandma’s Boy? Shocking.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Grandma’s Boy was terrible. I watched it the other day. Almost unwatchable.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I’ll tell you what’s funny. At the same time Congress was grilling Clemens (and baseball) about steroid, the NFL commish was also there talking about Spygate. Obviously it’s not about “protecting the children” when it comes to steroids since they don’t care about the NFL’s widespread use of them.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Goddell was a straight up pimp for scheduling his meeting up against Clemens’ downfall of an interrogation. Deflecting a scandal is always a dish best served in the butt.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:35 PM
Roger Clemens proved beyond a reasonable doubt yesterday that he is:
a. guilty as sin
b. a horrible liar
c. dumber than a sack of hammers.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Two points to make:
A – you guys all say that yesterday Roger Clemens made himself look guilty and that he was so stupid for going in front of Congress. I know more than a handful of people who have made a comment along the lines of “wow, I guess Roger Clemens looks really good after this”. Now, these people aren’t fans of baseball and even less fans of Clemens but I think this proves that to much of the public that is apathetic, the coverage they saw showed a guy who is adamantly and vehemently denying all allegations AND they saw the attacks on McNamee by the Congressmen as evidence that he was in the wrong. Don’t jump so quickly to this “Clemens did himself in” stance… maybe for those of us who are smart, but remember we are dealing with the sheep that is the public.
B – I love how everyone focuses their attention SOLELY on this when their beloved NFL (its commissioner) ADMITTED that the Patriots have been illegally taping games since 2000. That is three New England Patriots championships that need to be questioned severely. Funny thing about this whole thing is that since its the NFL, everyone wants to pretend like it didn’t happen… dudes THREE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE NOW QUESTIONABLE. All you want to talk about is if some old guy (who played in the shitty NL) may or may not have used steroids? Does it matter THAT much? Fuck the NFL and the shitty double standard that people have.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:05 PM
First off, I thought America loved inarticulate Texans in Washington D.C., who resided in New England at one time, who stayed the course like Clemens did yesterday. Second, Clemens did the only thing he could do. There’s a reason the people were willing to overlook Pettite’s HGH use and lies about it (is it “just once” or “just twice”). It’s the same reason that people are willing to live with McNamee and his saving of gauze and needles. It’s because this isn’t about Pettite or McNamee, it’s about Clemens, and when they want you at all costs, you better go down fighting.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:33 PM
this whole thing is just another case of a husband being upset at another guy because the 2nd guy got to do what the husband has always wanted to do….namly poke his wife in the ass.